Drinking old Rieslings

Nothing causes me to chuckle more than when someone tells me that they only drink red wine. And, they say it with a straight face while claiming to be knowledgeable about wine.

Anyone who says this is not serious about wine and is in a similar category as those people who make blanket statements like, “that’s not a good wine.” They may not like it, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad wine unless it’s truly corked, which I doubt they’d even know. I’m always careful to say I don’t like that wine or it’s too sweet, etc. Because someone else might like it or I could be wrong. I also think that serious wine drinkers appreciate both red and white wine, depending on the food and the occasion.

In fact, some of my favorite wines are white. I’m a big fan of Chardonnays and constantly tasting them. I’m also quite a fan of Riesling. Both wines are made in Oregon though Riesling is more advanced. Chardonnay is still a work in progress thought it’s getting better.

Some people turn their noses up at Riesling because they have an idea in their heads about how it will taste (sweet) and they’re usually wrong. But every serious winemaker I know contends that making Riesling well is a key qualification to making other varietals.

One of my favorite Oregon Rieslings is made by Lemelson Vineyards. Right now, I’m enjoying a 2004. A 2004 Riesling, you ask? Yes, Riesling is one of the white wines, like a great French Chardonnay, that will age. And an aged Riesling can be wonderful. They will mellow some, turn more of a golden color and after a number of years take on a petroleum or gasoline nose, yet are still amazing. This one started out very tart and lemony — almost like lemonade — but has now changed character and is even more creamy — like lemon custard.

Riesling is a great summer cocktail wine, but also goes super well with roasted chicken, shellfish and spicy Asian dishes. Next time you’re at an Oregon winery, pick up a dry Riesling and put it away for a few years.

Portland one of least angry cities in America

I knew there was a reason why I love living in Portland (Beaverton actually). Portland is one of the least angry cities in America, according to a study published by Men’s Health Magazine. The data was collected and analyzed by Sperling’s BestPlaces, a Portland organization.

Anymore, I use the rejoinder “life’s too short” more often and when it comes to anger, nothing could be closer to the truth. Who has time to harbor anger? It dominates the political discussion and is a huge turn-off for many of us and one of the reason why I’m slightly intolerant of the right wing movement. How was the survey derived? It looked for the percentage of men with high blood pressure, FBI rates of aggravated assaults, workplace deaths from assaults and other violence. It also included traffic congestion data and speeding citations.

No surprise, but five Florida cities — Orlando (#1), St. Petersburg (#2), Miami (#7), Jacksonville (#9), Tampa (#12) — ranked in the top 12 angriest cities. Go figure! Portland ranked a blissful No. 96. Seattle was at 43, probably mostly due to the traffic congestion. Surprisingly, New York is a pretty happy city at No. 57. The bottom quarter of the list is dominated by more rural enclaves, but other larger cities on the list include San Jose (#75), Minneapolis (#77), Anaheim (#79), Pittsburgh (#90).

A 2005 survey found that parents—and especially women— were more likely to feel angry. (So, too, were people under thirty and those with less education.)  Of the top 25 angriest cities, 14 are in the South. As it turns out, this may not be such a great place to live. Is it the heat, racial tensions, education levels, right wing politics? Hmmm, interesting food for thought.

While Portland may be the most depressed city in America, at least the folks here aren’t angry about it.

PS — Listening to Howard Stern interview someone right now how insists she’s “so angry.”

Pre-Autumn

Officially, summer has arrived. The temperatures here are supposed to approach 100 degrees for a couple of days this week and then cool off into the 80s by the weekend. Perfect lemonade and vodka weather.

We’ve had an incredibly wet spring/early summer which has been terribly confusing to the plants and trees. Our bamboo in the backyard thinks it’s April and is just sending up new shoots. They are massively tall, but only beginning to leaf out. And, most of the yellow cast is beginning to disappear as sunlight becomes more the norm. The neighbor’s young walnut tree that I thought was dead is now leafing out — in July! Look for walnuts in January?

So it’s been in the Northwest this summer.

Once we get past mid-July, I really consider us into pre-Autumn, the precursor to my favorite season. We call it Fall, but the Brits call it more properly Autumn. The days are more baked with cool mornings and lingering evenings for sitting outside listening to music or reading one of those summertime books. Maybe even a contemplative cigar now and again.

But, this is all just a build-up to Fall. You can almost smell it in the air — warm days, cool nights, a hint of smokiness in the air and, of course, football around the corner. To me, this is sort of like the Christmas countdown when you were a kid. The anticipation was usually better than the real thing.

The countdown to September 1 is a great time for contemplation, preparation and planning for the busy Fall season ahead. It is one of life’s small pleasures and there isn’t even a price of admission..

Nikon D90 or Lumix GF1?

I’m torn between a DSLR (Nikon D90) and something kind of sleeker and cooler, like the Panasonic Lumix GF-1. I really like the looks of the latter, though it’s a bit spendy for what you get. Biggest worry about the Nikon is that I’d not use it as much because it’s so big and bulky. Lumix comes highly rated and people who own it love it. Considered a great street camera. What are your thoughts?

Why Apple gets a pass on iPhone 4 issues

Apple’s new iPhone 4 may be the most successful launch in the history of the company, but it has come in spite of a bevy of performance issues that might have crippled the momentum of any other consumer gadget. So why is Apple seemingly skating through this one?

I would posit three things that have allowed Apple to surmount the criticism even while issuing lame excuses that smack more of PR spinning than real transparency.

1) Apple has a tremendous almost messianic following among its customers. The brand bonds that Apple has forged over the years are seemingly almost unbreakable among the converted. Its customers simply love Apple’s products and have a near unquestioning faith int he company’s products, even when they appear flawed. They believe Apple will always make it right and history validates that belief.

2) Apple’s reputation for building cool, trend-setting products that are at the top of the design stack also buys it a lot of buffer with its customers. When you’ve got a track record of building the coolest stuff on the market, people are willing to do a little mental compensation and tend not to hold Apple quite as accountable as other companies that have burned them with new concepts that didn’t deliver on the pre-launch hype.

3) While Apple seems a bit too dismissive about the antennae issue, it’s also probably not as bad or as widespread as some would have you believe. So, there really aren’t enough people experiencing this flaw for whatever reason. The latest rumor has it that some phones were affected because of a manufacturing flaw.  

On Friday, Apple issued an apology to customers for snafus around the antennae issue, but really did not address the issue. It may have, in fact, exacerbated it by acknowledging that iPhones may be showing too many bars, indicating that the reception on them is actually worse than previously thought. 

Only time will tell on this one. But, if past history is any indication, Apple has ample deposits in its bank account to navigate this storm and still come out without even a scratch on its reputation. 

Noah’s Bagels after church

A beautiful 4th in America

Enough with spring already

Sent from my mobile

Posted via email from CFH

Big and little shopping

My two favorite places to shop and “discover” stuff are Costco and Trader Joe’s.

Wow, you may say, those are two really opposite ends of the spectrum. And, that’s exactly right. Costco is good for lots of things — mostly non-perishables — while Trader Joe’s is purely focused on food and related items. It is the European grocery store that we ultimately fell in love with while living in London. Costco is amazing in its own way and that’s mostly for saving money.

I used to think TJ’s was expensive until my son turned me around on that. Not only are the prices very, very good, but because the items are packaged in reasonable sizes, you save money by not over buying. And the quality and differentiation of choice is outstanding.

One of my criteria for a great shopping experience is whether it’s fun. Both Costco and Trader Joe’s hit that mark. And, it has nothing to do with size. It has to do with being interesting and not boring and turning your shopping experience into an adventure. It also has to do with marketing and merchandising and it has to do with the people who work there. Are they interesting? Are they well informed? The other day I bought a bar of soap at TJ’s and the dreadlocked clerk said he had just seen a documentary on the man who founded the company that made the soap!

Costco overcomes its size with its focus on quality and amazing customer support and guarantee policies. Costco stands behind products the way Nordstrom once did. For such a huge retailer, this is truly amazing. But, it buys customer loyalty and that’s priceless.

Another thing I love about Trader Joe’s is that it’s not pretentious. Take the wine section. They are proud of the value they bring and often apologetic about recommending a wine that costs more than $10 a bottle. And, if you haven’t checked out the recipe section of the newly revamped website, you’re missing out. I suspect some turn up their nose at TJ’s because “it’s too small.” But, as we discovered when we lived in London, you really can find everything you really need in a small store.

There are probably a lot more reasons to like both stores, these are just a few of my favorites.

On Big Oven

All I can say is Wow! I’ve used a lot of foody sites, including Epicurious and Food and Wine. But neither can hold a candle to Big Oven. So, what’s so cool about Big Oven?

Let’s see, where do I begin. First of all, it’s very portable and that’s an incredibly important factor in today’s world of mobile phone-as-pocket-computer. I can easily access my Big Oven account on my phone anywhere anytime with it’s own app. And, it’s fast.

Second, it’s incredibly easy to use and did I say it’s fast! I can find, file, print, email recipes in seconds. I love software that “just works.” You can tag recipes to try soon, and as a favorite as well as add special tags to each recipe. There are numerous ways to find recipes, including a what to do with leftovers tab. It will even generate a shopping list for you.

And, the people who built Big Oven did an amazing job of just making you feel good about using their software. The recipes come from members of the community, so I feel like I’m involved with a community of like minded food junkies

The recipes I’ve tried are amazing. Every recipe we’ve tried has been wonderful. So, if you’re tired of the commercial recipe sites or just tired of dealing with their endless efforts to deploy fixes to make them work, give Big Oven a try. I can almost guarantee that you’ll like it.